How One Town Upped its Energy Efficiency

A landfill, city hall, school and streetlights help make it possible

Updated on Oct 16, 2017

Worcester, Massachusetts – the second most populous city in
New England after Boston – is getting more sustainable.

With Honeywell’s assistance, the city, also known as the
“heart of the commonwealth,” is now putting love into efforts that are set to
reduce city energy costs by $89 million and help offset 7,475 metric tons of
carbon annually over the next 20 years. And the work hasn’t cost taxpayers a
single cent.

For the city and its citizens, the project is truly a
win-win. “Everyone likes the environment. Everyone likes to save money – we can
do both,” said John Odell, energy & assets director at the city of
Worcester.

How is
this possible? Here’s the breakdown:

Landfill of Opportunity

Honeywell helped the city
transform vacant landfill space into New England’s largest municipally-owned
solar farm. The Greenwood Street Solar Farm covers 25 acres with 28,600 solar
panels—the equivalent of 19 football fields. The solar panels generate enough
energy to power 1,340 homes per year, and are anticipated to save the city at
least $60 million over the solar farm’s expected 30-year life. Being municipally-owned also allows the
city to take advantage of selling electricity at the valuable net-metering
rates back to the grid, and selling Solar Renewable Energy Credits.

City Hall Gets an Upgrade

After evaluating Worcester’s historic city hall, energy-saving
opportunities for improvement quickly became apparent. We helped completely
modernize key building equipment, installing a new heating, ventilation and air
conditioning system, along with a new control system and other critical assets.
These renovations are a component of other similar energy efficiency measures that
Honeywell implemented in approximately 100 city facilities to improve equipment
performance and efficiency, and help drive big energy and cost savings.

Schools Become Solar Powerhouses

Local schools represented another opportunity to generate
more sustainable, cheaper energy. Honeywell fit schools in the city with solar
panels to harness the power of the sun—and further drive down energy costs.

Streetlights Go Green

More than 14,000 streetlights throughout
Worcester received new, energy efficient LEDs with smart controls. The
upgraded lighting will benefit the environment while also extending the
lifespan of each light, reducing maintenance costs in the process.

Our work with the city goes back
to 2009, when Honeywell Building Solutions performed a comprehensive energy audit of 171 city
facilities totaling 5.5 million square feet of space. That audit has resulted
in four project phases totaling $80 million in capital improvements by the city.
All four project phases have been 100 percent self-funded through a combined $89
million in guaranteed energy savings and more than $70 million in utility
rebates and solar incentives 20 years.